The Internet is a global computer network that is rapidly changing the landscape of the business community and has begun change the way people perceive themselves as citizens of the global community. By its very nature, the Internet provides a flexible vehicle to deliver information from any point on the globe to any other point on the globe. Providing such a vast amount of information on demand is a feat which is unparalleled in history in both size and scope. However, due to the limitations inherent with computer hardware, modems and telephonic systems, only a small portion of the capabilities of the Internet are utilized today. As the performance of computer hardware and software catches up with the expectations of the Internet-using community, the applications for which the Internet is used will increase tremendously.
Use of the Internet is in its infancy. Much to the chagrin of the Internet-using community, the press constantly features articles and commentary on the Internet which is overly simplistic and misleading. Much of the capabilities of the Internet remain more hype than fact. Since evolution of the Internet is in its rudimentary stages, no one can predict where the frontier will lead.
One of the current problems with the Internet is that inexperienced people in the business community and the user community tend to view the Internet as a natural extension (or slight modification) of the currently existing media. For example, much of the public uses the Internet as a high tech phone book whereby a user can obtain detailed information regarding a company's products, services or other background information regarding a company. A perusal of home pages currently existing on the World Wide Web confirms that home pages are currently a hybrid of the business-to-business Yellow Pages® directory and a television commercial. The home pages are unable to obtain any information regarding the specific Internet users which are contacting the home page nor are they able to deliver information tailored specifically to that user without the user experiencing a tedious “virtual gauntlet” of boring questions that they must answer time and time again for each home page that is accessed. The initial enthusiasm and mystique associated with the Internet will quickly evaporate unless Internet users and the business community begin to utilize the Internet to its fullest potential.
Accordingly, there exists a serious need for delivering useful information to an Internet user that can be depended upon to deliver quality data as reliably as current utilities are delivered